On September 14, 2020, Alexander Zverev was very close to edging out Dominic Thiem in the final of the US Open. In the summit clash, he had won the first two sets and was up a break in the third. But in a match that had its share of twists and turns, it was Thiem which clinched his first Grand Slam, winning the final set via a thrilling tie-break.
The very next year, he was involved in another of those edge-of-the-seat humdingers during the later stages of a Grand Slam. In the semifinal of the 2021 Roland Garros, he came from behind to level it up at 2-sets all versus Stefanos Tsitsipas. Once again, he had to taste defeat in five sets. In the 2022 edition of the same Grand Slam, he suffered a debilitating ankle injury in the last-four, while trying to chase down an inside-out forehand from Nadal. Zverev continuously cried and shouted. Eventually, Zverev had to withdraw from the match, with him walking back in crutches.
Despite tearing three ligaments in his ankle, Zverev convalesced and was back in action. Just that he had to suffer more heartbreaks. During the 2024 Australian Open semifinal, he was 2 sets up over Daniil Medvedev, only to lose in five. The same year, Carlos Alcaraz too charted a come-from-behind victory in the RG final.
Zverev hasn’t given up yet on lifting a Grand Slam trophy. In a day or two, he will take on Jannik Sinner in the summit clash of the 2025 Australian Open. Sinner is the favourite to win his second Australian Open in a row. In terms of his game, Sinner has almost everything going for him. He has a very good forehand and perhaps an even better backhand – the ‘heaviest’ backhand on the tour. The kind of RPM he imparts is incredible. In addition to it, he is an agile mover on the court and his serve has improved.
On a brighter side for Zverev, he seems to have worked on the mental side of things. The way he held his nerve at 4-5, in the first set tie-break against Djokovic, tells a story. This was different from the 2022 version of Zverev who lost to Nadal in a tie-break at the RG semifinal despite taking the early lead. Zverev also seems to have worked on his ball toss, helping his serve to be more consistent.
Perhaps this time around, he would be able to absorb the pressure and win the big moments. However, up against him is an opponent who is at the peak of his prowess. Incidentally, Zverev played more of a conservative match against Djokovic. Probably the idea was to tire out Djokovic as he was laid low by a muscle tear against Alcaraz in the last-eight.
There are a few injury concerns over Sinner too, but he later observed that he was suffering from cramps in his semifinal. The form book says Sinner but Zverev would believe his moment in the sun has finally arrived.
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